Problem: You want to an area of influence around an object at a given distance.

Description: A buffer refers to the area contained within a specified distance from an
in space. But why would we want to create one?

Objects in space frequently have some sort of impact on the objects and areas around them. For example, factories emit fumes that can affect people for miles around. Freeways create "noise pollution" that can be heard blocks away. Buffers can be used in these instances to depict a sphere of influence in which the people and places within this "sphere" are more significantly impacted by a given phenomenon than those on the outside.

Buffers can also be used to show the reverse -- that is places that are less significantly impacted by a given phenomenon because they are within a certain distance of an object. These sorts of buffers, known as zones of protection, are frequently drawn in relation to regulations attempting to provide protection for special places. Examples include areas around school where liquor stores are prohibited, or protected lands around which shopping malls and urban development are not permitted.